Bourbon Milk Punch

The origins of the defiantly un-egg noggy sipper known as bourbon milk punch seem as murky as the concoction itself. By the Middle Ages, a similarly boozy combo of milk and whiskey seems to have been quite the thing in the United Kingdom. Served hot, it was a variant on the hot toddy and was reputedly coveted for its medicinal virtues. Though said virtues—medicinal, uh huh—seem a little questionable, we can see how the sleep-inducing qualities of both warm milk and booze could be construed as restorative, as we’d definitely fake a cough to secure a pint of this sweetly mesmerizing punch. It goes down quite easily and, fittingly, is a year-round palate pleaser and sleep tonic in The Big Easy. Elsewhere in the South, folks tend to think of bourbon milk punch as a spirited Christmas drink, though as far as we’re concerned, it requires no special occasion. None at all.–Renee Schettler Rossi

LC Not Egg Nog Note

Let’s be clear about one thing. Egg nog this is not. It’s less rich, not so cloying, lacks hard-and-fast rules about a shower of nutmeg, and doesn’t flirt with the potential for a nasty salmonella situation. As such, it’s eminently easier to quaff than nog. It’s a lot more like a milkshake. The only problem, as we see it, is ever returning to a straight-laced, teetotaling vanilla version. That, and achieving anything of import after starting to sip it.